CLICK HERE FOR BLOGGER TEMPLATES AND MYSPACE LAYOUTS »

Friday, July 28, 2006

The Hinterlands...




















There are times in one's life when all you can do is sit back and take in the awe and beauty of everything that surrounds you...I can't even begin to describe what Alaska was like for me. It was awesome, breathtaking, exciting, peaceful, HUGE...it's one of those places that you just have to be there to understand it all.

I loved visiting AK and hope to go back someday. I think I may even want to be there when it's cold...maybe not the "dead-of-winter" type cold, but when there's more snow on the ground. On our visit, the temperature never got above 70 degrees--a much-needed break after coming from Missouri wherer temperatures can soar well above 100 in the summer (and apparently did while we were up in AK).

We were able to visit a few places while attending class (and yes, we did go to class that week)...namely Portage Glacier, Portage Lake, the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, Aleyeska, Exit Glacier, Seward...everywhere we went, it was just an awesome sight. We saw wild black bears looking for fresh blueberries (high up on the hillside); wild goats climbing the rocks alongside the highway to Seward; moose at a local park in Anchorage; plus a whole bunch of caribou, moose, deer, musk ox, and bear at the Conservation Center.

We also had some wonderful meals at the Glacier Brewery, Snow City Cafe, and Wynter Time Restaurant (all in Anchorage)...if you're up in Anchorage, you'll need to hit these places at least once, but make reservations for Glacier Brewery as they usually have an hour and 1/2 wait (but well-worth it!). And if you're looking to shop...stop by Trapper Jack's and the Ulu Knife Factory. They also have a great fleamarket and festival on Saturdays and Sundays. And I would highly recommend staying that the Captin Cook Hotel. Pretty cool place.

It was a great trip--the one I've been looking forward to all year! Lots of stuff to do and see!

Next up...Rock Island, Illinois and San Antonio, Texas!

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

KC and Lake of the Ozarks





















Well...it's not exactly Kansas...we made a stop in the heartland of the US, Kansas City, Missouri with a side trip to Lake of the Ozarks. It was a week of learning about the Endangered Species Act, Hydropower, Water Supply, and Recreation. Good stuff...

Had the opportunity to catch a few good restaurants while in KC, mainly Cashew's and Jack Stack's BBQ. The baked beans and onion rings won the group over at Jack Stack's.

Some of us even got to explore a bit of the "Plaza" while in downtown KC. We also made it to the movies to catch the new Pirates flick.

Wednesday evening, we traveled east and south down to Lake of the Ozarks; reminded me a lot of Branson. Passed a lot of towns that looked like home...even got to see the "magic 8-ball of Missouri" (see photo).

The trip ended out with the group traveling back to Kansas City on Saturday morning...up next...the wide open (and somewhat cold) spaces of Alaska!!

Hope everyone is doing well back home--can't wait to see ya'll!!